Safety-powder for blasting.



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GEBSHOM M. PETERS, OF CINCINNATI, (EH10.

SAFETY-POWDER FOR BLASTING'.

Leas es.

No Drawing.

Specification of Letters Patent.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Gensnorr hi. Pn'rnns.

of Cincinnati, in .the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety-- PowdersforBlasting Purposes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactspecification. r

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in safety powdersfor blasting purposes.

The ob'ect of the invention is to furnish an explosive compound whichshall have the desirable properties as an explosive, be safe to make,store, transport and fire, and which shall also readily detonatethroughout its mass and thus avoid the necessity of introducing'into thecartridge an extra detonating material for priming, or using an extralarge and expensive detonating cap.

Nitrate of ammonia is common to most so' called safety powders, both inthis country and abroad, and has been extensively used as an explosivefor many years. It is not only powerful in its action, but explodes at acomparatively low temperature and gives off a large amount of hydrogen,which combining with oxygen in proper proportions produces water eithercondensed or in the form of vapor, thus dampening andiextinguishingflame. But the great objc ion to nitrate of ammonia is itssusceptibility to moisture, and when damp it loses its power and affectsother ingredients with which it may be incorporated to theirdisadvantage. Its high hydroscopic properties also interfere withdetonation, and it has been, found that detonation must be prompt andcomplete in order to secure the requisites of safety. It can not burn asin the case of black powder.

To protect against moisture, it has been customary with those skilled inthe art, to

,waterproof the granules of nitrate of ammonia with some sort ofimpervious coating,

' such as paraffin, resin, or collodion; but this practice greatlyinterferes with ignition or detonation.

In carryingout the present invention, it is desirable that a granularform of nitrate of ammonia be secured which is pure, dry and hard. Itshould then be dried out by heat before it is mixed with the otheringredients or packed in cartridges. in order to keep the improvedpowder dry it is found most desirable to rely for protection chiefly onthe form and character of the cartridge or case in which the powder ispacked for transportation and use and it is preferred that a firm tube,thoroughly waterproofed, be used, the same having the ends hermeticallysealed so that neither water nor air can get at the contents.

.As a sensitizing agent. in powders of this class, it has beenheretofore proposed to use nitro-cellulose, as, for example, in LettersPatent of the United States. No. 953,798 granted April 5, 1910. in whichI am a joint applicant with Milton F. liindsley. But- I find that undersome conditions and in order to simplify the process of manu facture itis desirable to employ one of the carbohydrates other than cellulose,nitrated, instead of nitro-cellulose or nitrated wood fiber, theresulting explosive being somewhat quicker and more violent in itsaction. Any suitable form of carbohydrate, as starch or sugar, may beemployed, but I prefer to employ what -is commercially called potatomeal, as more granular and not so liable to be washed away or dissolvedin the neutralizing process. This potato meal is thoroughly dried, afterwhich acid is applied to it for the purpose of nitratino: in the samemanner that starch is usually nitrated. It is then washed in tanksfitted with stirrers until entirely neutral. Then it is allowed tosettle and the Water drained off, then it is placed in a dry-house andthoroughly dried. If, in the preparation of the nitrocarbohydrate amaterial be used such as starch or sugar, which may be readily dissolvedaway in. the nitrating and washing process, it may be first pressed intocakes or strings and by passing; through rolls after being, dried,broken into fine grains, which being sifted to get fineness of grain maythen be nitrated, the action of the acid being such as to incrust thegranules and so prevent them from being broken and washed away.

In order to -1nodify the effect of the nitrate of ammonia and t-henit-rocarbohydrate I add to these two other ingredients which PatentedDec, 31, 1912.

Application filed March 12, 1910. Serial No. 548,900.

The formula or proportions of ingredients are preferably substantiallyas follows: ni-

r trate of ammonia, seventy-five per cent; ni-

trated starch in the form of nitrated potato meal or dust, twenty percent; mirbane oil with asphalt held in solution in the proportions ofapproximately four parts of mirbane oil to one part of asphalt, five percent;

Having described the nature of the invention and the manner ofcompounding the same, what I claim is:

1. A safety powder consisting of nitrate of ammonia, nitrated potatomeal, and a nitrohydro'carbon solution of asphalt.

2. A safety powder consisting of a mixture of nitrate of ammonia,nitrated'potato meal, mirbane oiland asphalt.

3. A safety powder consisting of nitrate of ammonia, nitratecl potatomeal, mirbane oil and asphalt, all incorporated into a homogeneous mass.

4. A safety powder consisting of the following ingredients incorporatedinto a homogeneou's mass and in substantially the following proportions:nitrate of ammonia, seventy-five per cent. (75%); nitrated po-fl;

tato meal, twenty per cent. (20%) ;,mirba'ne oil with asphalt held insolution, five per cent. (5%).

5. A safety powder consisting of the following ingredients incorporatedinto a homogeneous mass in substantially the following proportions:nitrate of ammonia, seventy-five meal, twenty per cent. (20%); and asolution of approximately four parts of mir= part of asphalt, five per 0bane oil and one cent.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses, on this 9th day ofMarch A. D.1910.

Witnesses:

' A. M. BEEKLEY, E. F. GARRETT.

per cent. (75%); nitrated potato- GERSHOM M. PETERS. I

